Anne Penman Sweet

What initially strikes the viewer as an unusual and perhaps menacing subject matter of oil tankers, rigs and mining sites soon after resonates with the shimmering and tranquil landscapes of J.M.W Turner. Growing up in Australia, Penman Sweet developed a fascination with the power and scale of great deserted landscapes, along with the sense of timelessness of old, disused industrial sites.
Every one of the magnificent tankers she paints has a distinct character and history. Each title is drawn from a god, be they classical Greek or Roman, Norse or Aztec in origin, and carries with it a mythical power and resonance.
In the artist's words, “what I'm attempting to do through the depiction of these diverse and nameless places is to provide a space of resonance, of interiority and inner recognition – a moment of stillness.”
Penman Sweet graduated from St Martins School of Art in 1977. She has exhibited widely across galleries in the UK and Australia. She now lives and works in Sydney.